Say It Ain’t So — Dos Equis’ ‘Most Interesting Man in the World’ Is Retiring

And, as you might expect, the Most Interesting Man in the World is heading off into the sunset in a way that no other man has, does or will. In the last commercial (which you can see above), he heads off on a one-way trip to Mars (and enjoy the brilliant line about regret -- it continues the tradition of wonderfully humorous writing that helped make the campaign such a smash).

The character has been played for nearly a decade by Jonathan Goldsmith, but in the vein of James Bond, he will live on with a different actor portraying another Most Interesting Man.

A spokesman for the Mexican beer company says it's time to update the campaign. He said since the first ads first popped up, "Culture has changed very dramatically. Our Millennial drinker has changed quite dramatically, and the competition has only exploded with the advent of craft (beer). We just want to make sure that the (Most Interesting Man) story evolves."

The ad campaign launched regionally in 2007 before it went national two years later, quickly becoming a favorite among beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike.

Goldsmith, 77, was a relatively unknown actor before the role catapulted him to stardom. He's currently writing a book about his life and fully embraced the part.

"I put all of myself into this character," Goldsmith told USA Today. "What you see on screen was all there long before the this role was created -- the beard, the mischief, the tan. I have a tremendous lust for life that hopefully comes across in my portrayal of The Most Interesting Man."

While there may be another Most Interesting Man in the World, we can't imagine he'll be as good as the original. Those are some big shoes that are the envy of every pair of Nikes out there to fill.

Now, bow your heads for a moment of silence before we raise a glass and salute Goldsmith's work by looking back at some more of his famous commercials.